Do Attics Need More Than 1 Attic Fan

In some worst case instances attic fans can actually create more problems than they solve.

Do attics need more than 1 attic fan.

The faster the wind moves over the baffle the greater the pressure it creates. The moving air tries to cool down all the wood attic framing as without the fan the temperature. Attic insulation that is less than r 19. Also you should buy or build a tight sealing cover if your whole house fan doesn t have one.

Generally speaking you need a ratio of 1 300 where for every 300 square feet of ceiling space you need 1 square foot of attic ventilation. If there are not enough soffit gable or ridge vents a powerful attic exhaust fan can pull the air from your home through the ceiling if it is not perfectly sealed off. I also tested the ceiling fan and the recessed lights didn t have covers and not sealed and there was a 1 4in gap around the lights and still no pull of smoke. Without exception you should talk to a professional to determine what your home requires.

With the attic fan on i tested the outlets and light switches in two rooms below the attic fan and the smoke puffer didn t get pulled. However there are certain circumstances where they can prove useful. One static vent style is the turbine vent which uses wind to power its enclosed fan all it takes is a light breeze to rotate the blades and suck heat out of the attic view example on the home. It may be starting to sound like attic ventilation fans aren t worth the hassle and could cause more problems than they solve.

As wind passes over an externally baffled ridge vent it creates low pressure zone drawing air from the attic. That said air resistance and interference such as vent grates reduces the area of true ventilation. Attic ventilation fans could be effective if your home has. If your attic soars above 100 degrees and reaches the 150 mark its time to consult.

And what s what the tight ceiling claim over and over again. That paper notes data measured at fsec and elsewhere show that attics with nominal natural ventilation and at least r 19 ceiling insulation do not need powered vent fans. If however the ridges are more than 3 feet apart in height only ventilate the higher one or separate the attics. For more natural exhaustion of the fans air outdoor you may need to increase the attic ventilation to 5 or more attic vents than the common area for proper functionality.

Does my home need attic ventilation fans.